Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual evaluation of the best employers in the trucking industry. CarriersEdge, which provides online driver quality improvement solutions, conducts the survey for TCA.

"When we first launched Best Fleets, it was virtually unknown, and some companies were skeptical about getting involved," said Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge. "Now, it has become a huge badge of honor to be named a winner, and especially an overall category winner."

"The Best Fleets to Drive For program has allowed us to take the information we have been given and use it to improve in all areas of our business," says Trent Dye, director and general manager for Paramount Freight Systems LLC, an overall category winner for two consecutive years.

The survey is open to all for-hire trucking companies with 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership status. Participating fleets will be evaluated against a broad range of criteria reflecting current human resources best practices.

For 2013, a few things have changed. After a company has been nominated by one of its company drivers or owner-operators and agrees to participate, it will be asked to provide more details electronically rather than through a telephone interview. CarriersEdge will still discuss the survey materials with the company via telephone, but the new process should greatly reduce the interview time, which was running two to three hours in the past.

Some new questions have been added to this year's survey. Drivers will be asked how much they trust the company they have nominated. Companies will be asked if they have researched and understand the reasons why their people leave. The survey also asks how much companies invest in developing their drivers; do they have a line item in their budget for training and other driver development activities?

After a company has provided the necessary information electronically, interviews will be conducted as necessary with senior management and a random sampling of the company's drivers. Top finishers will be identified as Best Fleets to Drive For, and the highest scoring fleets in each of the Company Driver and Owner Operator categories will be named that category's overall winner.